A former OpenAI employee accused of placing a recording device at the company’s San Francisco offices was ordered to remain in custody without bail after a federal judge determined that he posed a flight risk.
U.S. District Judge Alex Tse said there was a “significant” risk that Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, would fail to appear in court, denying his attorneys’ request for release.
Prosecutors said Alfozan had communicated frequently with an unnamed member of the Saudi royal family and cited those contacts in opposing his release.
Alfozan appeared in court Monday wearing orange prison clothing. He did not speak during the hour-long hearing.
He was arrested on October 9 and faces up to five years in prison on charges of intercepting oral communications.
In a filing submitted Sunday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office alleged that Alfozan, who had worked at OpenAI since 2025, maintained regular contact with a member of the Saudi royal family.
Although the complaint does not allege that Alfozan engaged in spying, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said last week that the case could have national-security implications.
“The government’s investigation is ongoing and may result in additional serious charges,” the filing said, adding that the matter was “a concern for the national security of the United States.”
The document asserted: “Whether the defendant wanted to record OpenAI meetings to enrich himself by enhancing his own business prospects, or to provide aid (to) a foreign government, or both, his conduct is criminal.”
The unnamed royal family member reportedly attempted several times to recruit Alfozan for an AI initiative in Saudi Arabia. In one WhatsApp exchange cited in the filing, the person wrote, “Saudi (Arabia) needs you more then [sic] the US.” Alfozan replied “100,” a common way to express agreement.
Before his arrest, Alfozan purchased a one-way ticket to Riyadh for October 12. Prosecutors said the purchase demonstrated that he intended to leave the country and was therefore a flight risk.
Alfozan’s attorney, William Pernik, disputed that interpretation, noting that his client had scheduled a U.S. naturalization interview for November 6.
Alfozan’s wife and their infant left the United States on October 10, the day after his arrest, according to the filing.
Prosecutors said the family’s travel was paid for by a Saudi military official. They also noted that the United States and Saudi Arabia do not have an extradition treaty.
A Broader Case
Alfozan’s attorneys argued that he was not a flight risk because he was pursuing U.S. citizenship and was prepared to pledge $1 million in assets to secure his release on bail.
Prosecutors countered that returning to Saudi Arabia could be even more financially advantageous for him.
“Once he leaves, there’s no getting him back, the case goes away, and that is why this is a bigger case,” Tse said during the hearing.
His next court appearance is scheduled for November 6.
Security footage showed Alfozan inside a restricted conference room shortly before a USB recording device, wrapped in toilet paper, was discovered behind a television, the Justice Department said last week.
The arrest and allegations occurred amid an intensifying global competition to lead the artificial-intelligence industry, which the Trump administration has sought to rebrand as “superintelligence.”
Saudi Arabia’s state-backed AI company Humain invested $3 billion in Elon Musk’s xAI shortly before SpaceX acquired the AI division in February.
Now operating as SpaceXAI, the division announced last year that it planned to partner with Humain on a 500-megawatt data center in Saudi Arabia.
In 2022, former Twitter worker Ahmad Abouammo was convicted of spying for Saudi officials seeking to identify critics of the platform.
A second former Twitter employee, Ali Alzabarah, was similarly accused of assisting Saudi officials but left the United States before he could be charged. Prosecutors cited that case in Sunday’s filing.